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Rescue teams comb site of Air India crash that killed at least 265

Rescue teams with sniffer dogs combed the crash site Friday of a London-bound passenger jet which ploughed into a residential area of India’s Ahmedabad city, killing at least 265 people on board and on the ground.One man aboard the Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner — carrying 242 passengers and crew — miraculously survived Thursday’s fiery crash, which left the tailpiece of the aircraft jutting out of the second floor of a hostel for medical staff from a nearby hospital.The nose and front wheel landed on a canteen building where students were having lunch, witnesses said.Deputy Commissioner of Police Kanan Desai said that 265 bodies had so far been counted — suggesting at least 24 people died on the ground — but the toll may rise as more body parts are recovered.”The official number of deceased will be declared only after DNA testing is completed”, Home Minister Amit Shah said in a statement late Thursday, adding that “families whose relatives are abroad have already been informed, and their DNA samples will be taken”. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who on Friday visited the devastated neighbourhood where Air India flight 171 went down, earlier described the crash as “heartbreaking beyond words”.The airline said there were 169 Indian passengers, 53 British, seven Portuguese, and a Canadian on board the flight bound for London’s Gatwick airport, as well as 12 crew members.Air India said the sole survivor from the plane — a British national of Indian origin who local media named as Vishwash Kumar Ramesh — was being treated in hospital.”He said, ‘I have no idea how I exited the plane'”, his brother Nayan Kumar Ramesh, 27, told Britain’s Press Association in Leicester.- ‘Last call -In Ahmedabad, disconsolate relatives of passengers gathered Friday at an emergency centre to give DNA samples so their loved ones could be identified.Ashfaque Nanabawa, 40, said he had come to find his cousin Akeel Nanabawa, who had been aboard with his wife and three-year-old daughter. They had spoken as his cousin sat in the plane, just before takeoff.”He called us and he said: ‘I am in the plane and I have boarded safely and everything was okay’. That was his last call.”One woman, too grief-stricken to give her name, said her son-in-law had been killed.”My daughter doesn’t know that he’s no more”, she said, wiping away tears. “I can’t break the news to her, can someone else do that please?” The plane crashed less than a minute after takeoff, around lunchtime Thursday, after lifting barely 100 metres from the ground.The plane issued a mayday call and “crashed immediately after takeoff”, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation said.Ahmedabad, the main city in India’s Gujarat state, is home to around eight million people and its busy airport is surrounded by densely packed residential areas.”One half of the plane crashed into the residential building where doctors lived with their families,” said Krishna, a doctor who did not give his full name.US planemaker Boeing said it was in touch with Air India and stood “ready to support them” over the incident, which a source close to the case said was the first crash for a 787 Dreamliner.The UK and US air accident investigation agencies announced they were dispatching teams to support their Indian counterparts.Tata Group, owners of Air India, offered financial aid of 10 million rupees ($117,000) to “the families of each person who has lost their life in this tragedy”, as well as funds to cover medical expenses of those injured.- Rapid growth -India has suffered a series of fatal air crashes, including a 1996 disaster when two jets collided mid-air over New Delhi, killing nearly 350 people.In 2010, an Air India Express jet crashed and burst into flames at Mangalore airport in southwest India, killing 158 of the 166 passengers and crew on board.Experts said it was too early to speculate on what may have caused Thursday’s crash.”It is very unlikely that the plane was overweight or carrying too much fuel,” said Jason Knight, senior lecturer in fluid mechanics at the University of Portsmouth.”The aircraft is designed to be able to fly on one engine, so the most likely cause of the crash is a double engine failure. The most likely cause of a double engine failure is a bird strike.”India’s airline industry has boomed in recent years with Willie Walsh, director general of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), last month calling it “nothing short of phenomenal”.The growth of its economy has made India and its 1.4 billion people the world’s fourth-largest air market — domestic and international — with IATA projecting it will become the third biggest within the decade.

Judge blocks Trump’s use of National Guard in protest-hit Los Angeles

The Trump administration slammed a judge’s “extraordinary intrusion” on presidential powers Thursday, after he ruled that the decision to send the California National Guard to protest-hit Los Angeles was “illegal.”The ruling by US District Judge Charles Breyer ordering Donald Trump to return control of the reserve force to California’s Governor Gavin Newsom infringes on the president’s authority as Commander-in-Chief, the Department of Justice said in an emergency appeal.Breyer stayed his order until Friday, however, giving the administration time to launch a swift appeal.Within minutes the higher court issued its own ruling staying Breyer’s order for several more days to give it time to consider the appeal, with a hearing set for June 17.The stay means Trump would still control the National Guard in California during protests planned for Saturday.Sporadic though spectacular violence has rocked Los Angeles over days of demonstrations against immigration raids launched by the Trump administration.But the clashes fell “far short” of the “rebellion” the president described to justify his decision to send in the National Guard, Breyer said in a 36-page opinion released earlier Thursday. Trump’s actions “were illegal … He must therefore return control” of the guardsmen to Newsom, Breyer said.”That order is an extraordinary intrusion on the President’s constitutional authority as Commander in Chief,” the justice department wrote in the appeal.Newsom, however, was quick to celebrate Breyer’s order — potentially a much-needed win in just one of several fronts that wealthy, Democratic California is currently fighting against the White House.Trump “is not a monarch, he is not a king, and he should stop acting like one,” the 57-year-old Democrat said.Protests over the immigration crackdown first began in Los Angeles on Friday, and were largely confined to just a few blocks of the sprawling city. Damages include vandalism, looting, clashes with law enforcement and several torched driverless taxis.Trump, who has repeatedly exaggerated the scale of the unrest, deployed 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 US Marines to Los Angeles despite the objections of local officials, claiming that the city was “burning” and they had lost control.It was the first time since 1965 that a US president deployed the National Guard over the wishes of a state’s governor.Critics have accused Trump of a power grab. But he has been unrepentant, taking credit Thursday for making Los Angeles “safe” and declaring thatNewsom — a contender for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2028 — had “totally lost control.”Anger at Trump’s crackdown and the use of masked, armed immigration agents, backed by uniformed soldiers, is rousing protests in other cities, though Los Angeles was calm on Thursday night.- ‘Reeks of totalitarianism’ -The ruling came after California’s stand-off with the administration ratcheted up earlier Thursday, when a sitting US senator was handcuffed and forcibly removed from a press conference on the immigration raids.The shocking incident was slammed by furious Democrats who said it “reeks of totalitarianism.”Video footage shows California Senator Alex Padilla, a Democrat, being pushed from the room at a federal building in Los Angeles as he tried to ask Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem about the raids.”I’m Senator Alex Padilla. I have questions for the secretary,” he said as two men grappled with him in front of journalists, including from AFP.Footage filmed by Padilla’s staff outside the room shows the senator being pushed to the ground and handcuffed.The incident “reeks of totalitarianism,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said, calling for an investigation.The White House hit back, claiming it was a “theater-kid stunt” and claiming without evidence that Padilla “lunged toward Secretary Noem.”Trump was elected last year after promising to launch historic mass deportations.But with his mounting crackdown rippling through industries heavily reliant on immigrant labor, Trump said he had heard employers’ complaints and hinted at a forthcoming policy shift.”We’re going to have an order on that pretty soon, I think,” he said.Breyer’s ruling comes two days ahead of the nationwide “No Kings” protests expected on Saturday, the same day Trump attends a highly unusual military parade in the US capital.The parade, featuring warplanes and tanks, has been organized to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the founding of the US Army but also happens to be on the day of Trump’s 79th birthday.

Meta makes major investment in Scale AI, takes in CEO

Scale AI announced a major new investment by Meta late Thursday that values the startup at more than $29 billion and puts its founder to work for the tech titan.Company founder and chief executive Alexandr Wang will join Meta to help with the tech giant’s own artificial intelligence efforts as part of the deal, according to the startup.Meta was reportedly pouring more than $10 billion into San Francisco-based Scale AI, and acquires its 28-year-old CEO amid fierce competition in the AI race with rivals such as OpenAI, Google and Microsoft.”Meta has finalized our strategic partnership and investment in Scale AI,” a Meta spokesperson said in response to an AFP inquiry.”As part of this, we will deepen the work we do together producing data for AI models and Alexandr Wang will join Meta to work on our superintelligence efforts.”Meta promised more details about the move in coming weeks.Scale AI works with business, governments and labs to exploit the benefits of artificial intelligence, according to the startup.”Meta’s investment recognizes Scale’s accomplishments to date and reaffirms that our path forward — like that of AI — is limitless,” Wang said in a release.”Scale bridges the gap between human values and technology to help our customers realize AI’s full potential.”Since Wang founded Scale AI in 2016, it has grown to more than 1,500 people, he wrote in a post on X.He said a few other employees, whom he referred to as “Scaliens,” will go with him to work on Meta’s AI initiative.Wang described his departure as “bittersweet,” adding he will remain a member of the Scale AI board of directors.- Military AI -Along with work that includes AI data, agents, and optimizing systems, Scale AI late last year announced an artificial intelligence model built on Meta’s Llama 3 model that is customized for US national security missions including planning military or intelligence operations and understanding adversary vulnerabilities. Listed capabilities of “Defense Llama” include assessing scenarios and answering tactical questions such as how enemies might attack and how to effectively counter, according to Scale AI.”Scale AI is committed to ongoing collaboration with the defense community to ensure Defense Llama remains a trusted and effective asset for US military and intelligence operations,” Wang said at the time.Scale AI will use the infusion of capital to accelerate innovation and strengthen partnerships, along with distributing proceeds to equity holders, according to the startup.Meta will hold a minority stake in Scale AI after the investment deal closes, but an exact figure was not revealed.Tech industry veteran and investor Jason Droege, a co-founder of Uber Eats food delivery platform, will take over as chief of Scale AI, according to the company.”Scale has led the charge in accelerating AI development,” Droege said in a release.”We have built the strongest foundation to tackle AI’s data challenges and push the boundaries of what’s possible.”Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg recently touted his tech firm’s generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI) assistant, telling shareholders it is used by a billion people each month across its platforms.

Israel launches strikes on Iran

Israel carried out strikes against Iran on Friday, targeting its nuclear and military sites, and killing the head of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards and top nuclear scientists.Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned Israel it faced a “bitter and painful” fate over the attack, which also killed a senior Guards commander according to Iranian media.The United States underlined that it was not involved in the Israeli action, and warned Tehran not to attack its personnel or interests.Israel’s operation struck at the “heart of Iran’s nuclear enrichment programme”, taking aim at the atomic facility in Natanz and nuclear scientists, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.The operation against Iran will “continue as many days as it takes,” Netanyahu said.Iran’s Revolutionary Guards leader Hossein Salami was killed in the strikes, said Iranian media Tasnim.Iran’s Chief of Staff Mohammad Bagheri was also “likely eliminated”, said an Israeli security official.Iranian state media said residential buildings in Tehran were hit as well, killing a number of civilians including women and children.Air traffic was halted at Tehran’s main international airport Imam Khomeini, while neighbouring Iraq has also closed its airspace and suspended all flights at all airports, state media reported.Israel declared a state of emergency, likewise closing its airspace, with Defence Minister Israel Katz anticipating retaliatory action from Tehran.”Following the State of Israel’s preemptive strike against Iran, a missile and drone attack against the State of Israel and its civilian population is expected in the immediate future,” Katz said.An Israeli military official added that the Israeli army believed that Iran had the ability to strike Israel “any minute”.- ‘Might blow’ deal -Oil prices surged 12 percent while stocks sank on the Israeli strikes, which came after US President Donald Trump’s warning of a “massive conflict” in the region. Trump had also said the United States was drawing down staff in the Middle East, after Iran threatened to target US military bases in the region if conflict breaks out.”I don’t want to say imminent, but it looks like it’s something that could very well happen,” Trump told reporters at the White House Thursday when asked if an Israeli attack loomed. Trump said he believed a “pretty good” deal on Iran’s nuclear programme was “fairly close”, but said that an Israeli attack on its arch foe could wreck the chances of an agreement.The US leader did not disclose the details of a conversation on Monday with Netanyahu, but said: “I don’t want them going in, because I think it would blow it.”Trump quickly added: “Might help it actually, but it also could blow it.”Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned Iran not respond to Israeli strikes by hitting US bases, saying Washington was not involved.”Let me be clear: Iran should not target US interests or personnel,” Rubio said in a statement.Prior to Friday’s attack, Iran had threatened to hit US bases in the Middle East if conflict were to erupt.”All its bases are within our reach, we have access to them, and without hesitation we will target all of them in the host countries,” Iran’s Defence Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh said this week.Following Israel’s strikes, the UN’s nuclear watchdog said it was “closely monitoring” the situation.”The agency is in contact with Iranian authorities regarding radiation levels. We are also in contact with our inspectors in the country,” International Atomic Energy Agency head Rafael Grossi said.- ‘Extremist’ -Israel, which counts on US military and diplomatic support, sees Iran as an existential threat and hit its air defences last year.Netanyahu has vowed less restraint since the unprecedented October 7, 2023 attack on Israel by Tehran-backed Hamas, which triggered the massive Israeli offensive in Gaza.Since the Hamas attack, Iran and Israel have traded direct attacks for the first time.The United States and other Western countries, along with Israel, have repeatedly accused Iran of seeking a nuclear weapon, which it has repeatedly denied.Israel again called for global action after the IAEA accused Iran on Wednesday of non-compliance with its obligations. The agency’s resolution could lay the groundwork for European countries to invoke a “snapback” mechanism, which expires in October, that would reinstate UN sanctions eased under a 2015 nuclear deal negotiated by then US president Barack Obama.Trump pulled out of the deal in his first term and slapped Iran with sweeping sanctions.Iran’s nuclear chief, Mohammad Eslami, slammed the resolution as “extremist” and blamed Israeli influence.In response to the resolution, Iran said it would launch a new enrichment centre in a secure location.Iran currently enriches uranium to 60 percent, far above the 3.67-percent limit set in the 2015 deal and close, though still short, of the 90 percent needed for a nuclear warhead.

Israel launches strikes on Iran

Dans une vallée pakistanaise, la petite révolution des travailleuses

Dans une vallée du massif du Karakoram, une poignée d’irréductibles résistent encore et toujours au patriarcat: à Hunza, plus personne ne s’étonne de voir des charpentières, des footballeuses ou encore des patronnes de restaurant, des carrières inimaginables dans d’autres campagnes pakistanaises.En 2008, Bibi Amina, 30 ans à l’époque, s’est lancée dans la charpenterie avec une autre femme. Alors, elles étaient de véritables ovnis.Aujourd’hui, elle est à la tête d’une affaire qui tourne: “on a 22 employées et on a formé une centaine de femmes” notamment en rénovant le fort Altit, le monument le plus ancien de la région, avec l’aide de la Fondation Aga Khan (AKF).Si tout est si différent dans la vallée de la Hunza, aux confins de la Chine et de l’Afghanistan, c’est parce qu’y vit une petite communauté, les ismaéliens, une branche de l’islam chiite qui suit l’Aga Khan, imam héréditaire et philanthrope à la fortune colossale longtemps basé au Pakistan.En 1946, l’Aga Khan III, arrière-grand-père de l’actuel Aga Khan, “a consacré les fonds de son jubilé de diamant à ouvrir des écoles pour filles à Hunza”, rapporte à l’AFP Sultan Madan, militant associatif local.- “Vaisselle et lessive” -Quatre-vingts ans plus tard, le taux d’alphabétisation –des femmes et des hommes– y est d’environ 97%. Une exception au Pakistan où 68% des hommes savent lire et écrire et 52,8% des femmes.Malgré tout, même dans la communauté ismaélienne, plus ouverte que le reste de la société pakistanaise rendue ultra-conservatrice par des décennies de politiques d’islamisation, il existait il y a encore une génération des “métiers d’hommes”, raconte Bibi Amina.”Les gens pensaient que les femmes étaient là pour la vaisselle et la lessive”, dit-elle. Une croyance tenace dans un pays où la part des femmes –avec ou sans diplôme– dans la main d’oeuvre nationale n’atteint pas 25%.Mais dans une vallée aux hivers rudes et aux terres agricoles rares, “face à l’extrême pauvreté, la modernité l’emporte sur la culture tribale”, assure Aziz Ali Dad, commentateur dans la presse locale.Il y a 16 ans, Lal Shehzadi a décidé de ramener plus à la maison que la maigre pension de retraité de l’armée de son mari.Perchée en haut d’une rue escarpée, sa cantine de plain-pied est l’un des arrêts incontournables pour déguster viande de yak ou fromage de montagne arrosé d’huile d’abricot.”J’ai commencé seule. Maintenant j’ai onze employés, en majorité des femmes, et mes enfants travaillent avec moi”, raconte-t-elle.- De 10 à 150 euros -Safina, 31 ans, l’a imitée il y a une décennie, parce qu’elle n’arrivait plus à joindre les deux bouts avec ses dix euros de salaire de femme de chambre dans un hôtel. “Personne n’a voulu m’aider”, raconte celle qui ne porte qu’un nom et a dû convaincre sa famille de vendre “deux vaches et quelques chèvres” pour près de 800 euros.Aujourd’hui, elle gagne plus de 150 euros par mois. Un grand bond en avant dans un pays où 40% des habitants vivent sous le seuil de pauvreté.Et plus aucun retour en arrière n’est possible, veut croire Aziz Ali Dad, car “les enfants sont éduqués par des femmes qui travaillent”.C’est sûrement vrai pour les 50.000 âmes de la vallée, mais ailleurs au Pakistan –240 millions d’habitants– un tiers des femmes disent que leur père ou leur mari leur interdit de travailler et 43,5% disent avoir renoncé au travail pour se dédier aux tâches domestiques, selon un sondage Gallup de l’année dernière.A Hunza, on ne se distingue pas seulement avec des professionnelles de l’ébénisterie ou de la restauration. Ici, dans le nord d’un pays tout acquis au cricket, les femmes se font aussi une place dans le football!- Penalty de la victoire -“Tous les villages de la vallée ont une équipe de foot féminine: Gojal, Gulmit, Passu, Khyber, Shimsal…”, énumère Nadia Shams, 17 ans dont sept à courir derrière un ballon rond.Sur un terrain synthétique, elle s’entraîne en jogging ou en short –une tenue qui fait régulièrement polémique ailleurs dans le pays.Ici, un nom est sur toutes les lèvres: Malika-e-Noor, l’ancienne vice-capitaine nationale qui marqua le penalty de la victoire contre les Maldives en 2010 au Championnat féminin d’Asie du Sud.Fahima Qayyum avait six ans. Aujourd’hui, après plusieurs matches internationaux, elle veut recruter la génération d’après. “En jouant bien, elles peuvent décrocher des bourses d’études”, plaide-t-elle. Et plus tard, un travail.Pour la Banque asiatique de développement, l’emploi des femmes est un double levier d’émancipation dans le pays, 145è sur 146 dans le classement mondial 2024 sur l’égalité hommes-femmes du Forum économique mondial.Les travailleuses peuvent plus que les autres décider des dépenses du ménage ou du recours à la contraception.Et donner plus d’emplois aux femmes, c’est aussi lutter contre le travail des enfants.

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Meta makes major investment in Scale AI, takes in CEO

Scale AI announced a “significant” new investment by Meta late Thursday that values the startup at more than $29 billion and puts its founder to work for the tech titan.Scale AI founder and chief executive Alexandr Wang will join Meta to work on the tech giant’s own artificial intelligence efforts as part of the deal, according to the startup.Meta was reportedly pouring more than $10 billion into San Francisco-based Scale AI, and acquires its 28-year-old CEO amid fierce competition in the AI race with rivals such as OpenAI, Google and Microsoft.Scale AI works with business, governments and labs to exploit the benefits of artificial intelligence, according to the startup.”Meta’s investment recognizes Scale’s accomplishments to date and reaffirms that our path forward — like that of AI — is limitless,” Wang said in a release.”Scale bridges the gap between human values and technology to help our customers realize AI’s full potential.”Scale AI will use the infusion of capital to accelerate innovation and strengthen partnerships, along with distributing proceeds to equity holders, according to the startup.Meta will hold a minority stake in Scale AI after the investment deal closes.Tech industry veteran and investor Jason Droege, a co-founder of Uber Eats food delivery platform, will take over as chief of Scale AI, according to the company.”Scale has led the charge in accelerating AI development,” Droege said in a release.”We have built the strongest foundation to tackle AI’s data challenges and push the boundaries of what’s possible.”Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg recently touted the tech firm’s generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI) assistant, telling shareholders it is used by a billion people each month across its platforms.